


A Ron and Tammy Camping Trip

by MeganRosenberg



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Complicated Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Love/Hate, Sexual Tension, Stalking, compassion - Freeform, crazy tammy 2, kind of romance, ron and tammy 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 12:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21635029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganRosenberg/pseuds/MeganRosenberg
Summary: Set in the earlier years of Ron and Tammy Two's relationship. After one of many frequent breakups, Ron seeks to go on a solo camping trip and ends up with an unwelcome stowaway in his car's trunk. When Tammy 2 makes her unexpected presence known, things quickly spiral into chaos.
Relationships: Ron Swanson/Tammy Swanson II
Comments: 8
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The details of when Ron and Tammy's relationship began and how long it lasted are a bit unclear to me, so I'm sort of guessing... I imagine them being in their twenties or early thirties in this story.

xxxxxx

CHAPTER 1

xxxxxx

Tammy groaned and pressed her fingertips against her forehead as she slowly blinked her eyes open. She felt groggy and confused as she tried to remember where she was. The space was dark, cold and cramped... and she felt like hell.

She moved her arm, wincing as she felt her elbow knock against a wall of some sort. "Damn it," She hissed, trying to pull herself into a sitting position only to immediately knock her head against something very solid above her. "Son of a bitch..." She hissed as she let herself fall back into her lying position and finally began piecing together the situation in her head. Of course... She was in a car trunk... but there was no need for concern - she'd done it on purpose. It was Ron's trunk. She was going with him on a camping trip... He just didn't know it yet.

The reason she was so groggy and confused was because of the excessive dose of pills she'd given herself. Wanting to sleep through most of the ten-hour drive, she'd taken four benadryl as soon as Ron had begun what the man had believed was a solo road trip toward the Appalachian foothills. And now she was waking up feeling extremely lethargic and dehydrated. She certainly didn't want to have to be awake, bored out of her mind, cramped up in the trunk for ten hours, but she definitely felt very stiff, exhausted, and thirsty now.

None of that mattered though. What mattered was that the car was still now. She heard crickets and frogs and nothing else. Ron must have made it to his destination... which meant there was no way he was going to turn back now. A ten-hour drive just to immediately return to take her back home? She didn't think so.

Tammy put her hands on the inside of the car's trunk and pushed. How was she supposed to get out? She pushed harder, frowning when the trunk's top didn't budge. Weren't there ways to open these from the inside? To prevent kidnappings or something? She thought she'd heard that was the case... She felt around some more, looking for a latch or button that she wasn't sure was even there.

When she didn't find anything of the sort within about a minute, she lost patience and began banging against the trunk. She really needed to get out of here soon, because she was almost beginning to panic. The air was starting to feel really heavy and thick... Was there even much oxygen in here anymore? She needed out. Ron was going to find out she was here sooner or later. That was the point... So it might as well be now...

... ... ... ... ... ...

The sun was setting as Ron worked on preparing his camp site. He'd just gotten here about a half-hour ago, had started a strong fire, and was well-into erecting his tent. If everything continued this smoothly, he'd have time to go to the nearby river and fish for a bit.

He nailed in a stake, securing one of the tent's poles to the ground. It was a rather small tent, but it was perfect for this occasion. He only needed space for one, and only having space for one discouraged any of the people he knew from trying to tag along. Having to bring your own tent was a deal-breaker to a lot of people, fortunately.

Ron paused setting up when he heard a strange knocking noise. His ears perked up and he frowned as he looked toward his car... It almost sounded like something was moving around in the trunk. With a frown, he stood and walked cautiously toward the car. Could an animal have somehow gotten into it? He flinched as the banging became louder and more violent.

"Let me out!" A painfully familiar voice growled. His heart sunk as he closed his eyes. The sound of her voice grated on his nerves, made him want to take a drill to his ears so he'd never have to hear it again.

It sounded just like his ex-wife, Tammy - the second one... the one that more frequently than he welcomed stalked him and tried to convince him to get back together with her, if even for just one night at a time. It was definitely her... The absolute lunatic had locked herself in his trunk so she could follow him up here without him knowing.

Ron stared down at the trunk, swearing he could see it move as she pounded her fists against it. He wondered if he should even open it or just call the police and let them deal with her. Would his phone even get reception out here?

There couldn't be much harm in just leaving her there until the police came and took her away. It wasn't hot... She wouldn't die from the heat of being locked in the car. She'd survive it... and it wasn't like he'd forced her in there. She did this to herself.

"Ron?" Her increasingly breathless voice continued. "Are you out there?" She banged against the inside of the trunk again. "Ron!?" Her voice was beginning to sound panicked. Ron almost felt bad. He really didn't want to deal with this though. This wasn't his fault. So what if she was panicking and regretting her choices? This was all on her. She was the one who hose to act insane. She was the one who'd have to be uncomfortable as a consequence.

This was supposed to be a weekend he was going to spend entirely alone - out in nature, away from every annoying human being on earth... and the most annoying person in his life had somehow managed to follow him here without him knowing. He knew he should have packed his supplies in the trunk rather than the back seat. She'd taken a risk hiding there and was lucky he hadn't opened his trunk at all during his drive down here. This never would have happened if he'd opened his trunk even once...

"Ron!" Tammy's voice shook slightly as she banged louder against the trunk. It sounded like she was probably kicking at this point, and was doing so rather violently. "Open the trunk, you son of a bitch! Let me out! Now!" She screamed, sounding equally angry and frantic.

Shaking his head, Ron felt in his pocket for his phone. He stared down at the screen and frowned. It looked like there was no signal out here. That wasn't surprising. He was in the middle of nowhere. That was the whole point of this excursion - to get as far away from other people as possible. It took him forty minutes driving on a road where he saw zero other cars to get up here.

He stared down at the trunk again, listening to Tammy's frantic pounding fists and feet. "Ron, I know you're out there! Let me out! You have to let me out!"

Ron raised his phone into view again, holding it up toward the sky, hoping its reception would improve. It didn't. He scowled at the device. Technology was a curse. It only ever promised to make things easier but frequently didn't deliver. All it did was provide false hope. At least before cell phones no one expected to be able to contact anyone while out in the wilderness. It was the same as now only without the frustration and disappointment.

Tammy's hands and feet continued denting the trunk from the inside as she kicked and pounded her fists against any and every surface she could reach. "Ron!" She screamed. "I'm going to start breaking things... I have a lighter. There's some loose carpeting in here. Probably very flammable. I'm gonna light the whole car on fire if you don't let me out right now!" She threatened.

"You're gonna light my trunk on fire while you're in it?" Ron finally spoke up. "That sounds very ignorant... but I wouldn't put it past you."

She finally stopped thrashing and let out a small whimper which Ron could barely hear. "Ron, please..." Her voice was so much more pathetic than he'd ever heard her before.

Ron frowned and put his hand against the trunk. Maybe he should let her out. She sounded angry, but more than that, she sounded scared. It would be pretty cruel to let this continue, even if she was a dangerous lunatic who had created the whole situation herself.

"Ron... I haven't had anything to drink for... I don't know - like fifteen or eighteen hours." Tammy's voice was still small. "I don't even know how long I've been in here, Ron. I feel light-headed."

"That's your fault, Tammy," Ron frowned, keeping his hand on the trunk, almost as though he was holding it closed. "I didn't make you get in my trunk without water. I didn't make you stay in there for hours while I drove through several states. You did this to yourself. Why are you here?"

Tammy remained silent for a few moments before ignoring his question entirely and going on with her list of complaints. "I took too much benadryl. I took four, Ron... I don't think they've worn off yet. My mouth is so dry. I feel sick. Please let me out." She sounded practically ready to cry.

Ron inhaled and exhaled tiredly. He had two options here. Option one: drive back to the nearest town and call the police - they'd probably get him in trouble for delivering a woman to them in his trunk - especially if she really was drugged and dehydrated like she claimed. Option two: let her out, deal with her for one night, and drive her back to town in the morning. Option one sounded much better for his own sanity, but not necessarily for Tammy's well-being. She'd also likely get him in a lot of trouble by appearing to be a victim in this mess. She was in his trunk, drugged and dehydrated... He wasn't letting her out. This wasn't going to look good for him.

"Ron..." Tammy's voice truly did sound weak and desperate. He wasn't sure how much of it might be an act. "There's no air in here. I haven't had any water since last night... I didn't want to have to pee. I'm so thirsty." She coughed dramatically and offered one more single fist-pound against the trunk's lid. "Don't make me stay in here any longer than I've already been here, Ron. Please... Please let me out..."

Ron exhaled and closed his eyes. He was going to have to let her out. This was a nightmare... but what other option did he have?

"Just a second, Tammy. I'm gonna let you out-" He paused, fishing around in his pocket for the trunk's key. "-but you've gotta keep your distance. I'm taking you back to town in the morning. You're not staying here with me. Got it?" He put the key up to the keyhole, but paused as he waited for her response.

Tammy didn't answer. The entire campsite was silent aside from the gentle crackling of the fire he'd kindled.

"Tammy... Do you understand?" He asked again.

After another short pause, Tammy finally responded. "Yes." She answered in a voice muffled by the closed trunk.

Ron pushed the key in and turned it, pulling the trunk open and frowning down at the woman who had once been his wife.

She blinked, put her hand up over her face, and turned her head to the side as though the dim evening light hurt her eyes.

"Get up, Tammy," Ron spoke, wanting very much to refuse to help her out of the cramped space. Why should he help her out when he most certainly never invited her to climb into the trunk in the first place? This whole ordeal was her fault. Her stupid, convoluted plan. This wasn't his problem.

She nodded and pulled herself up into a sitting position, breathing in a slow, tired breath and then staring up at him with a pout, as though he was the reason this had happened to her.

Ron shrugged and shook his head. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Tammy frowned and looked down. "I just thought we could try again - try to make this work... We had so much fun together when we were married. Why shouldn't we try to bring that back? I thought maybe you would want-"

"So you snuck into my trunk without my knowledge?" Ron interrupted. "You thought maybe I'd want to get back together if you stalked me by hiding in my car for ten hours and following me without telling me?"

Tammy nodded, keeping her head down, but looking up at him, making her eyes look very large. He noticed she also truly did look pale, disoriented, and exhausted. Her eyes looked slightly unfocused and her breaths sounded labored.

"Did you really take four benadryl? Have you really not had anything to drink all day?" Ron frowned.

Tammy nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. She shivered slightly.

Ron shook his head and offered her his hand. "Come on. Come sit by the fire. I'll get you some water. You can sleep in the car tonight and we'll take you to town tomorrow."

"I just wanted to be with you," Tammy looked down and ignored his offered hand. "I don't understand why you don't want to be with me. I feel like you and I had this chemistry - this amazing, orgasmic, deeply sexual, almost spiritual bond unlike any other - like we were meant by the cosmos to be together... and it was just so powerful... and it's like I'm the only one who experienced that - like you weren't even- just like you don't even remember it - like it was there, definitely, without a doubt, it was there... but it's not in your memory. How can that be?"

"I remember it, Tammy... You're the one who's forgetting," Ron frowned, moving his hand back and crossing his arms over his chest. "We had something intense, for sure. Damn it, Tammy... I might have even loved you... But our relationship was toxic and violent... Painful, emotionally and physically exhausting. The good didn't outweigh the bad - or maybe the good and bad were both so god damned heavy that it made even functioning outside of our exhilarating, draining relationship nearly impossible."

Tammy stared up at him with a frown. "We could just try-"

"No," Ron interrupted. "Let's get out of the trunk though, okay?" He offered his hand back to her.

This time she took it, allowing him to help her step out of the trunk on wobbly legs. She truly did look like she'd been through hell. It was scary. This woman was willing to drug herself and become dehydrated to a likely dangerous level just to stalk him into the mountains - when she knew full-well he wasn't interested. That kind of behavior required a very particular kind of crazy.

He tried to pull his hand out of her grip so that she could make her own way over toward the fire, but she held on tight, blinking slowly and swaying slightly on her feet.

Ron swallowed nervously as he watched her. She looked like she was ready to throw up. "You alright?" He asked, unsure if it was a wise question for him to ponder out loud.

She nodded slightly, but kept her eyes closed and refused to release her grip around his index and middle fingers even as he gently attempted to pull his hand away.

"Come sit down," Ron requested, cautiously leading her toward a small boulder next to the fire. He'd built the fire there very purposefully, so he could sit on that single boulder... but he supposed he could give it up for the time being since Tammy looked quite ready to faint and was shivering. Once she had some water, he could give her one of his extra sweaters, send her to the car, and pretend like she wasn't here.

"I guess I was in there too long," Tammy noted in a breathless voice as she allowed Ron to push her gently down toward the large rock. She sat on it and finally let go of his hand. "I stood up too fast or something..."

"It's because you're dehydrated," Ron told her as he retrieved a bottle of water from a case of them he had in his back seat. He walked back to the fire and handed it to her. "Drink that. You'll probably feel better as soon as you do."

Tammy nodded and took a generous gulp of the beverage.

Ron stood several feet back and watched her. Why was she so crazy? He wondered if she had known he was driving this far. She'd specifically said she didn't drink anything so she wouldn't have to pee along the way - so she had to have expected the journey would take a little while. What a ridiculously risky plan that was though - what if he had parked the car somewhere where no one would have heard her pounding on the inside of the trunk? He could have parked down the mountain and hiked up here. She would have been trapped for days. She could have died.

Swallowing as he stared at her, Ron frowned at his own thoughts. The possibility of Tammy being trapped in his trunk for that long - hidden away with no one knowing where she was or that her life was in peril made him feel sick. He was pretty sure he hated this woman with every fiber of his being, but for some reason he was also fairly certain he'd be devastated if anything that serious ever happened to her.

This was ridiculous. All she had to do was stalk him, behave completely inappropriately to the point of making herself physically ill, and now Ron felt guilty - almost protective. How did she do this to him? He wanted nothing to do with her. He told her so, over and over again. Seeing her made him feel anxious and nauseated... Why did he care if she was dehydrated and over-medicated on antihistamines? Why should he give a damn?

He exhaled as he glared down at her. "You better not suck me back into this chaotic shitstorm you call a relationship, Tammy." He threatened.

Tammy looked up at him with raised eyebrows and a subtle smirk and shrugged innocently. "I am in no way in control of your feelings, Ron."

Ron shook his head and rummaged through some of his supplies. He fished out a sweater, a second bottle of water, and a sleeve of Ritz crackers. He walked back over to Tammy and held the items out. "Take these. Go sit in the car. I'll take you to town in the morning. Until then, I don't want to see or hear you or even notice that you're here."

Tammy stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "I'm still cold."

Ron stared down at her. "That's what the sweater is for. Go."

She glared back up at him.

"Tammy... Get in the car, or I will. And if I do, I'm leaving. Without you." Ron threatened.

He could see anger flash through her eyes, but she reached up and grabbed the supplies out of his hands. "I'm gonna tell whatever skank you end up dating next about how you're treating me."

Ron shook his head. Tammy quite often tried to sabotage his relationships. Little did she know, he was perfectly capable of screwing them up all on his own.

xxxxxx


	2. Chapter 2

xxxxxx

CHAPTER 2

xxxxxx

Tammy stormed off toward the car and threw the water, sweater, and crackers into the front seat. "I need the keys," she called back to him.

"No," Ron refused. "No way in hell am I giving you my keys."

"I need the heater, Ron. At least for a few minutes. I'm freezing, you prick!" She screamed back at him.

"Probably because you're starving and your body is trying to just stay awake at this point and you're still dehydrated. A couple sips of water isn't going to fix that," Ron explained. "Drink the water. Eat the crackers, and shut up."

Ron could see Tammy's mouth twitch as she stared back at him with hatred in her eyes. "You're heartless. I should burn this campsite to the ground." She climbed into the car and slammed the door behind her, leaving Ron legitimately concerned about going to sleep here with her in the vicinity. He wouldn't put that past her. Maybe she really would try to light his tent on fire with him in it.

He looked toward the car as she stared back, raising her hand up in behind the windshield with her middle finger stuck up. She then slammed her hand down on the horn.

Ron felt a growl in his throat as he stomped his way over toward the car. How the hell was he supposed to deal with this woman? One minute she appeared close to fainting, making him feel entirely guilty and protective, and just seconds later she was behaving like the batshit crazy lunatic he knew her to be. That's why she was so dangerous. She pulled him in by being alluring and appearing vulnerable and innocent and then destroyed everything in her path.

As he reached angrily toward the door, Tammy slammed her hand down on the lock.

"Tammy!" Ron growled, pounding his fist against the window. "Let me in!"

"No!" Tammy screamed back, reaching up and turning on the car's overhead light.

"You're going to run down the battery, you idiot!" Ron yelled, pulling on the door's handle again.

"I don't care!" Tammy raised her middle finger again and laughed a maniac giggle.

With a frustrated sigh, Ron felt his pockets for his keys, taking them out and unlocking the door. Tammy pushed the lock right back down.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, Tammy!" Ron growled, violently twisting the key in the car's door again. "Let me in, you crazy bitch!"

"Fuck you!" Tammy screamed, holding the lock down.

"I'll break the window, Tammy! Don't think I won't!" Ron threatened, pounding his fist against it again. "Unlock the door, and we'll talk about this like adults, or keep doing what you're doing, and we'll let this spiral out of control. Again."

Tammy shook her head and turned on the other overhead light.

A low growl rumbled in Ron's throat as he paced angrily around to the other side of the car to try to unlock that door. Tammy leaned over and held that lock down too. "Damn it, Tammy!" Ron growled, slamming his fist against the window. "Open the door!" He heard his voice in a full-scream, more angry than he knew he was capable. Tammy had the tendency to do that to him - to put him into a rage mode he didn't even know he had in him.

"No! Give me the keys!" Tammy refused. "Just let me turn on the heat for ten minutes!"

Ron felt his breaths coming in angry bursts. He really didn't want to break his own window... He wondered if Tammy really would stop if he gave her the keys for ten minutes. Maybe he could try playing nice, however difficult that would be.

"Open the door," he tried in a more gentle voice, "and I'll give you the keys."

"Give me the keys and I'll open the door," she countered, rolling the window down about an inch.

Ron stared through the window at her. Maybe she was lying... But he really didn't have much of a choice. She wanted to be with him - so surely she wouldn't leave him here...

"Okay," He reluctantly agreed, trying very hard and not quite succeeding in keeping his voice calm. He pushed the key through the small gap and was rewarded with a satisfied smirk from Tammy, who took it and put it into the ignition, turning it and adjusting the heat dials. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes.

"Now let me in," Ron requested.

Tammy kept her eyes closed and ignored him completely.

"Open the door, Tammy... You're really testing my patience." Ron growled.

She snuggled down further into the seat and turned on the radio.

"Damn it!" Ron pounded his fist against the window again. "Is this really how you want to do this, Tammy? You want me to break the window? I'll do it!" He threatened... and he knew he really might at this point. Tammy had the frightening ability to bring out a rage in him he hardly knew he possessed... and he never did possess it when she wasn't around. He was never more violent or angry or insane as when he was with her.

"Do it, you prick!" Tammy finally responded. "Break your own window! I don't care!"

"You're gonna care once I get in there." Ron reminded her as he turned and threw his elbow against the window as hard as he could. He winced and growled at the same time. The window was stronger than he'd expected. He grumbled under his breath and took a step back. He tried kicking the window next, still failing to break it. Who knew car windows were so strong?

He glared through the window at her as she laughed and pointed at him.

Ron inhaled and searched the ground for a rock, finding one and pounding it against the window, finally producing a small cracking sound along with a gasp and a worried frown from Tammy.

Ron smiled now as he raised the rock back again, preparing to slam it into the window once more.

"Wait!" Tammy gasped, raising her hands in defense as she pressed her back against the driver side door in order to distance herself from what was likely to soon be shattering glass.

Ron kept his arm back and the rock held threateningly over his head as he waited for her to elaborate. He was breathing heavily and wasn't certain he wouldn't physically and quite possibly violently drag her out of the car and tie her to a tree once he got in. Just leave her restrained somewhere until he could bring back a police officer. What choice did he have? She was dangerous. He couldn't leave her to her own devices. Shit like this happened when he did that.

"I'll let you in..." Tammy breathed. "Don't break the window... I'll let you in..."

Ron glared and stared silently at her as she inched away from the driver door and toward the passenger side. She stared intently at him, but as soon as her eyes darted toward the gear-shift, Ron knew exactly what she was going to do.

"Son of a bitch!" Ron grumbled as he could do nothing but watch her quickly slam the gear into drive and take off, immediately veering off the road and through the trees. "Tammy, no!" He screamed, running after her. How the hell was he going to get the car back on the road? The forest ground wasn't exactly level, and she was actually running over small trees and bushes. The chances of getting it back on the road were decreasing with each yard she drove it.

Ron frowned as he noticed she was driving the car right toward the river. He wondered if she was doing that on purpose. Did she see it through the trees and shrubs? Was she trying to kill herself? Or was she just driving aimlessly and happened to be taking herself toward possible death on accident.

"Tammy! Don't! There's a river, Tammy!" He screamed, trying to run faster to keep up with the vehicle.

She slammed on the gas, still running over small trees and shrubs as she careened toward the water. He could do nothing to stop her from driving straight into the river, which had a current that honestly looked somewhat dangerous.

"Fuck..." Ron grumbled as he witnessed his car roll into the river, rather suddenly hit something - probably a rock, and then proceed to sink deeper into the water. Although he was tempted to just leave her there to drown, he knew he couldn't in good conscious let that happen. No matter how much he may have thought he wanted to kill her himself, he knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't do something.

... ... ... ... ... ...

Tammy groaned as she blinked her eyes open. She felt mostly confusion as she put her fingertips up against her aching forehead and felt cold water collecting at her feet. What the hell was happening? Where was she? Where was this water coming from? And why did her head hurt so much?

It took a few long seconds for her to remember what had just happened and to understand where she was, but as soon as she did, her heart and lungs felt frozen in panic.

She'd just accidentally driven Ron's car straight into a river while trying desperately to get away from him. Even though she'd provoked him, he had been in the process of trying to break the car's window. She wasn't sure what he'd do once he got in, so she panicked and took off, right through the trees, and straight into the river. She must have hit her head during the ordeal. She felt like she'd hit her abdomen and arm on something as well - maybe the steering wheel. Now the car was sinking, and she was still in it...

With a small whimper, Tammy reached toward the car's door, pulling on the handle and shoving against the door with her shoulder. It didn't budge. She gasped and looked around the car's front seat. She felt like she remembered reading something once about getting out of a sinking car, but she couldn't remember... What was it?

She reached toward the door's handle again, pulling with shaking fingertips as more water trickled into the car. If it continued to sink, she would drown... She would die here. It wasn't like Ron was going to help her either - not after she'd just stolen and destroyed his car - after stalking him here. He was probably standing on the bank watching right now - mourning for his car and celebrating that he could finally be rid of her for good. If she didn't save herself, no one else was going to either.

Fear seized her heart and a small cry of fear escaped her lips as she moved to the other door, pulling at the handle and shoving at it. Finally, she realized she'd failed to unlock the doors. For a moment, she was relieved, until she pulled the lock up, yanked on the handle, and shoved her shoulder against the door again and still failed to open it.

"Oh no..." She whimpered under her breath as she crawled across the seat to the other door. Her wrist throbbed as she put weight on it, but she couldn't afford to not use it anyway. Not right now. It would waste what precious time she still had to free herself from this death trap. She could worry about her injuries if she survived this. If not... it wouldn't really matter much, would it?

She pulled the lock up and then violently tugged on the driver-side door handle again, pushing against the door and then yanking the handle again, with both hands this time. She groaned at the pain shooting through her wrist, but continued pulling on the handle and using her feet to try to kick the door open.

It was firmly stuck in place...

... ... ... ... ... ...

Intaking a shocked breath from the chill that ran through his body and the fear of how this situation would end, Ron waded into the water. It became deeper and deeper as he neared the car. His feet barely reached the bottom and he could tell the vehicle was still sinking. If they didn't get a door or window open very soon, Tammy wasn't going to survive this.

He made it up to her door in time to see her frantically pulling at the handle and attempting to push the door open. She let out a frightened whimper as she tugged at the handle and then slammed her fists against the window, not even noticing that Ron was attempting to pull the door open from his side too. It wasn't budging.

Tammy let out a shaking, panicked breath as her eyes darted toward the water gushing through the vents. She pressed her hands uselessly against them as though trying to hold the water back and then looked back toward the door. Splashing through the ice cold water filling the car, Tammy yanked desperately at the door's handle again. With each of her failures to free herself, Tammy's frantic breaths grew louder and more rapid.

She looked back up at the glass as she slammed her hands desperately against it.

Finally, she seemed to notice he was there. She stared through the window and into his eyes as she pressed her fingers against the glass. Time almost seemed to hold still. She stared at him in such a way that he was unsure if she was happy or angry to see him. She was clearly shaking and breathing uneven, panicked breaths, but just stared at him through unshed tears - almost as though she couldn't believe he was even there and didn't know whether he was going to save her or try to kill her faster.

"Hang on, Tammy!" Ron breathed, placing his hand against the glass as he pulled one last time on the door's handle.

"Ron!" Tammy's voice shook and he noticed her hands were trembling against the glass as well. "Ron, help me! Break the window!" She begged. Her eyes were filled with fear and dread.

Ron shook his head. "I don't know if I can..." he noted, but he did try anyway, pounding the glass with his fist as Tammy cowered back to avoid what she surely hoped would soon be shattering glass.

Tammy gasped as water continued to spill in through the air vents and pool around her. It was above the seat by this point. "Ron! Help me!" She screamed, backing herself up and trying to kick the window out herself when Ron's attempts continued to fail. "You said you could break it! Ron!" She screamed in a terrified voice. She looked around the space frantically as the water rose around her.

"Tammy, I'm trying!" Ron yelled back. "Stay calm... See if the window will roll down!" He suggested.

Tammy shook her head as tears filled her eyes. She pressed the power window buttons frantically, first on one door and then on the other. She climbed into the back seat and tried those ones too. "Ron, they're stuck!" She whimpered, climbing back into the front seat and furiously jabbing at the switches again. "I don't want to die, Ron! Break the window! Please!"

"I can't!" Ron screamed and shook his head. He couldn't break it without some sort of tool. He looked around, hoping to find another rock small enough to hold but big enough to hopefully break the glass. He spotted one on the bank and headed back toward it.

Tammy let out a small sob as she pounded her fists desperately at the window. "Come back! Please! Don't leave me here! Ron, please!" She cried.

Ron didn't have time to explain to her that he wasn't leaving. He just needed to act, and act fast. She'd understand afterward. It didn't matter that she felt scared and betrayed in that moment. Only her survival mattered.

He waded to the bank and grabbed the rock before heading back. The car was almost completely underwater now, and the inside was about 90% flooded. Tammy was clearly putting a lot of effort into keeping her head above water, but was running out of space. Ron couldn't tell if she even knew he had come back. She seemed focused only on breathing what little air was left for her.

"Hold on, Tammy," Ron spoke under his breath as he slammed the rock against the window. It was harder than ever now that most of the glass was underwater. He slammed the rock against it again. It wasn't working. The car was too-far submerged. "Oh my god..." Ron breathed, no longer able to see Tammy. Was there even any air left at this point? He was running out of time - Tammy was running out of time. If he didn't get her out soon, it would be too late.

He tried to kick the window, but nothing gave way. He slammed the rock against it again, with a frustrated, panicked growl. The water just made it so much more difficult. He felt panic bubbling in his chest at the thought of Tammy dying here clouded his mind. He couldn't stand this woman, but he couldn't stand to lose her either - not like this.

With a small breath, Ron remembered the cracking sound he'd produced when he was trying to break the passenger side window before. That window was already close to breaking. Surely a swift kick could finish it off...

He scrambled desperately over the car's roof and toward the other side, lowering himself down and kicking, breathing out a sigh of relief as he felt the glass shatter under his foot.

Ron immediately took a deep breath and submerged himself under the water, sliding in through the window and blindly feeling around inside the car until he felt the fabric of Tammy's shirt. He grabbed her arm and tugged, pulling her rather roughly out the window along with him.

As soon as they were out of the car and above water, Tammy coughed out a series of desperate, pained, frantic coughs as she inhaled shaking breaths. She wrapped her arms around him as he dragged her back up on land.

Even now that they were safely out of the water, Tammy still clung to him with a death grip as she gasped and choked up water. He could feel her shaking in his arms and noticed her quick, pained breaths against his neck. Ron gripped his arms tightly around his ex-wife's body, holding her close to reassure himself that she was okay, that he'd made it in time and that his worst fear was no longer a possibility.

Part of him wanted to keep hugging her until the fear of losing her he'd just experienced melted completely away. He really didn't want to ever let her go... But another part of him was still extremely angry with her. Now that he no longer feared for her life, he could be angry again - and he had every right to be.

He loosened his grip around her, but she did not do the same. She had her eyes squeezed shut as she gripped the back of his shirt with her hands and continued breathing deep, shaking, quick breaths.

"Tammy, let go," Ron ordered in a voice he was trying his best to keep gentle. Now that the scariest part of this incident was over, his empathy was dissipating. He was starting to feel annoyed again.

"No," Tammy gasped in a small voice, grabbing him harder. She coughed again and inhaled another shaking, rather painful-sounding breath.

"Tammy..." Ron warned, feeling his patience dwindling fast. "You're safe now. Let go."

Tammy shook her head and hugged her arms tighter around him. He felt that she was still shaking. Her breaths were still frantic and uneven. She was still coughing.

Maybe he should have given her a break since she had just narrowly avoided death, but he really no longer felt like being generous. In fact, he was even more frustrated that her lunacy had caused him such stress. If she hadn't acted insane, she wouldn't have almost died. The whole situation was still her fault. If she had stayed home and not tried to steal his car just now, she wouldn't have scared the hell out of him by nearly getting herself killed.

With a tired exhale, Ron reached back and grabbed her hands, untangling them from the collar on the back of his neck, which she was clinging to like it was the only thing keeping her alive. "Get off of me!" Ron growled, allowing her to sink to the ground and continue coughing. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" He screamed, too angry to notice he was completely freezing, or to put much thought into the fact that he felt a confusing, irritating mixture of anger, hatred, and extreme relief. There was no other woman in the world who he could simultaneously care so deeply about while hating so passionately. "Why the hell would you do that!?" He growled.

Tammy shook her head and continued coughing and trying to breathe. She was practically lying on the ground - as though even just sitting up was a chore.

"Why would you drive my car into a river? While you're inside it? Do you want to die? Are you trying to kill yourself?" Ron wondered. She had always been crazy, but this was getting completely out of control. She'd seriously endangered her own life twice just today - and in very significant ways.

She shook her head and coughed again.

"Then what the hell is your problem? Why did you do this, Tammy!?" He yelled, stepping toward her so that she shrunk down slightly. "You want my attention that bad? That you'll risk your life for it? Why would you do this?"

"I don't know..." She breathed.

"You could have died!" Ron reminded her. "You almost did!"

She nodded and swallowed what looked like a painful gulp as she closed her eyes and breathed in heavy, labored breaths. "I don't know..." She repeated.

"Oh my god... I don't even know what to do with you right now, Tammy..." Ron shook his head and shrugged. "I'm tempted to tie you to something and go get help... Let the police handle you. You're fucking insane!"

Ron stared down at her as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes and her lower lip trembling. Her wide, dark eyes shined in the light of the full moon - currently their only light source since the sun had set. He'd never seen her look so genuinely sad and frightened.

"I'm sorry, Tammy, but you are..." Ron went on with a calmer tone. "You just drove my car into a river... You almost drowned. Do you realize how absurd you're being? You might be legitimately crazy - like clinically insane."

Tammy looked down at the ground and continued breathing in shaking breaths.

"I don't understand, and it sounds like you don't either. You need help," Ron told her.

Tammy shook her head. "No. I don't. This is your fault!" She yelled back, finally looking up at him. Her voice shook and she sounded completely out of breath. "I was scared! Of you!"

"No you were not!" Ron disagreed. "You're the one stalking me. You're the one driving cars into rivers like a fucking lunatic. You're the one being scary."

She shook her head again. "You were trying to break the window! You said you'd kill me!"

"I did not!" Ron countered.

"You did! You said if I didn't open the door you'd kill me!" Tammy reminded him.

Ron paused, trying to think back. Maybe he had said that. He certainly didn't mean it literally though, and surely she knew that. They were both guilty of saying rather harsh, needlessly threatening words while angry. It was their normal. Neither of them ever legitimately tried to seriously hurt the other. He certainly didn't anyway.

"You knew I didn't mean that." Ron scowled.

"You were smashing your own car window in with a rock... Why wouldn't you deliver on your other threat too?" Tammy frowned. Tears still brimmed in her eyes. "I just wanted you to want to be with me... Ron, I love you..."

Ron shook his head. "You've got to stop, Tammy. We're never going to be together... Destroying my property and nearly getting yourself killed isn't helping. You're not going to guilt-trip me into dating you again. It's not going to work. If anything, I hate you even more now."

Ron almost felt bad as Tammy brought her hands up to her face and began to sob. He couldn't let himself feel guilty for this. He couldn't allow her reaction to get to him. His words were harsh, but her actions were more harsh. She just drove his car into a river - forced him to save her life - after stalking him here like a serial killer.

"Why are you doing this?" Ron frowned. Normally, her crazy was more violent and angry. This time the destruction was there, but the emotion here wasn't anger. It was sadness. Why did she seem so devastated this time? Was it because she'd almost died? Was she finally feeling the natural consequences of her insanity, and did it scare her?

"I don't know." She said again, still covering her eyes with her hands. "I wanted you to want me... You didn't and it made me mad. Then it escalated, like you said... It always does..." She said the last part in a shaking whisper.

Ron closed his eyes and exhaled tiredly. He could feel himself starting to shiver as his body exited shock-mode. He was drenched in nearly frozen water from the river. So was Tammy. They needed to get warmed up before they could even begin to decide what to do next.

"Come on. Let's just get back to the fire for now." Ron suggested. "Staying all wet and getting sick isn't going to help either of us."

Tammy groaned as she dragged herself to her feet. She grimaced and exhaled a sharp breath as she stood in front of him, shaking from the cold just like he was.

She looked like she was in pain - not just discomfort from the cold. "Tammy-" he started, reaching a hand out toward her and taking a step forward.

Tammy scowled back at him and stepped back.

He exhaled. "Are you hurt?" He asked.

Tammy shook her head. "I'm fine." She answered with a voice that sounded angry and defensive.

Ron nodded slowly. He had seen how the car had rather violently slammed into whatever was under the water in the river. He wouldn't be surprised if she had injured herself during the whole event... but if she didn't want his help, he didn't need to persist. Hopefully they could get warmed up, walk back to the nearest town, and call the police. He'd file charges against her, find a way home, and hopefully never see her again.

xxxxxx


	3. Chapter 3

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CHAPTER 3

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Tammy hugged her arms around herself as she sat on the large rock next to Ron's fire. She was pretty sure when she'd driven his car into the river she'd somehow fallen rather roughly against the steering wheel. Her wrist throbbed and she wouldn't be surprised if she found she had bruised or broken ribs. She felt somewhat nauseated from hitting her head too. Hopefully she didn't have a concussion.

She glanced down at her arm, trying to be discreet, because she honestly didn't want Ron fussing over it. As much as he claimed to hate her guts, he sure wouldn't leave her the hell alone when he thought she was hurt.

Sliding her sleeve slightly up her arm, Tammy winced at the pain even just touching her wrist caused. She frowned when she noticed the limb was in fact swollen and looked to be turning a shade of greenish purple. Even with only the light from the fire and the moon, she could see the discoloration. She stuck her lower lip out in a pout and stared down at her wrist. When the car had collided with the large rocks in the river, she had braced herself with her hands on the steering wheel, which had clearly been a mistake. As soon as she had felt the sharp pain in her wrist, she'd let go and had ended up being slammed into the wheel anyway.

"All of my spare clothes were in the car." Ron spoke as he made his way back toward the fire and stood on the opposite side from her.

Tammy pulled her sleeve back over her discolored wrist and stared up at him. She hated him right now. This was just as much his fault as it was hers - maybe even more so. All she wanted to do was spend time with him. It wasn't her fault he started being rude and heartless - wanting her to sit in a cold car all by herself when she outright told him she felt sick. She was even visibly shaking when she finally got out of his trunk and he didn't care. He wouldn't let her stay by the fire or turn on the car's heater. What a jerk!

And then he started getting violent, threatening to break the car's windows - even saying he would kill her... Why wouldn't she try to drive off when she got the chance? He was being a violent lunatic!

She was even more angry with how he was still treating her - even after she'd just narrowly escaped a sinking car. She could have died... and he was still being a cold-hearted bastard... threatening to tie her up and leave her here, telling her he hated her more now than ever... well, she hated him more than ever too. In fact, she wasn't even sure she wanted to be with him anymore.

"...And the water. Most of the food... Almost everything. We've got a tent. That's about it." Ron rattled on. "I've got my flashlight still... Maybe we can try walking back on the road after we're a little more dry and warmed up... I don't know, Tammy. I sure as hell don't want to spend the night here. Not with you."

"You think I want anything to do with you either, you son of a bitch?" Tammy growled back at him.

"You said you did." Ron crossed his arms over his chest. "That's why you followed me here like a psycho."

"Well, I changed my mind. I think you're a piece of shit now." Tammy noted, scowling up at him and hugging her bruised wrist carefully against her chest. "If I never see your face again after tonight, it'll be too soon."

"Agreed." Ron stared back. "There hasn't been a day in literal months that I've wanted anything to do with you, Tammy. If you'd have just left me alone like a normal person, none of this would have happened. I'd be happy right now, camping by myself, enjoying nature and solitude. You could be happily at home sacrificing small animals to Satan... We'd both be fine."

She scowled up at him with narrowed eyes, feeling anger bubbling back up inside her. He just never knew when to stop. Even when she started to calm down - when she would have been fine if he just shut up and backed off, he simply couldn't. He just continued pressing buttons. He knew those buttons were liable to make her explode, but he kept pressing...

"You're paying for that car." He went on. "And for everything that was in it. I'm pressing charges for the stalking too."

Tammy pulled her hand into a fist. She would have done the same with the other one, but moving it caused her quite a bit of pain. If she attacked him, she'd have to be careful.

"You might even go to prison this time." Ron suggested.

"Oh, you think so?" Tammy hissed, standing and staring over the fire at him. "What do you think the charge is for kidnapping? For drugging me and keeping me in your trunk? For trying to drown me in your car?"

"Nobody's gonna believe that." Ron noted with a shake of his head. "I've got friends who will back me up. You have a history of stalking and being a nutcase... The police will see that. Maybe you'll finally go to prison or a mental hospital. Get the help you so desperately need, and I can finally be rid of you for good."

"They'll believe me." Tammy disagreed. Why wouldn't they? She was the one who was injured. She was the one who was tiny and cute and defenseless. She could easily paint Ron as the villain. And he truly did scare her when she started driving his car. She wouldn't have been so reckless then if he hadn't been screaming, threatening to hurt her. That was his fault.

"No, they won't." Ron shook his head. "There's documentation of you being a lunatic in the past."

"You too!" Tammy frowned. "We did crazy shit together, you idiot!"

"You did a lot of crazy shit alone too, Tammy." Ron reminded her. "I can't wait until you're locked up. I'll finally be able to breathe."

She felt a growl building up in her chest as she squeezed her fist even tighter. Hearing him talk about the possibility of her being gone forever being a relief made her feel furious. She wanted to punch him so badly... There wasn't really anything stopping her...

Without another thought, she growled, lunging toward him and punching him in the stomach. She wrapped both hands around his neck, wincing at the pain in her left wrist. She didn't even have time to retract her hand herself though. Ron was already grabbing her wrists and wrestling her arms down.

"Let go of me!" She screamed, pulling at her arm and whimpering at the pain it caused as his grip tightened. "Get off! Let me go you son of a bitch!"

"So you can strangle me, you absolute fucking lunatic?!" Ron held tighter, wrestling her to the ground and pinning her there by her wrists. "I can't believe this! Are you actually going to make me have to restrain you so I can go get help without having to worry about you attacking me the whole time?"

"You're hurting me! Let go!" Tammy screamed again, feeling panic rising in her chest. Ron didn't know her wrist was already injured. He didn't know that he shouldn't grab her there and that she wasn't just being dramatic right now. "Ron, get off of me! Let go!"

"Stop fighting me and I will!" Ron refused, holding her wrists tighter as he loomed over her. She was fairly certain he wasn't trying to be rough - he was just being forceful enough to keep her held down - but that force against her wrist was very painful. "I can't trust you, Tammy! I'll let go when I'm sure you won't attack me." He added.

"I won't try anything, Ron! I swear!" She begged, pulling uselessly at both of her wrists and groaning at the resulting pain. "Let me go! Let go, Ron! Get off of me!" She continued screaming until her words became nothing but noise and she was merely screaming unintelligibly at the top of her lungs.

... ... ... ... ... ...

Ron felt his heart beating quickly in his chest as he had no other choice but to hold Tammy down against the ground as she seemed to be in full-mental breakdown mode. The woman had jumped at him unexpectedly and had tried to strangle him with her bare hands. He had no option besides to hold her in place until she calmed down. He'd done it before, and would probably have to do it again if he was unfortunate enough to be stuck with her for much longer. If he let her up, she'd probably punch him in the face or claw his eyes out.

By this point, Tammy was screaming like a lunatic - no longer even saying words. She was just making noise - seemingly as much as she possibly could. With a low growl in the back of his throat, Ron released her right arm and pressed that hand over her mouth.

"Tammy, stop!" He ordered, pressing his hand down hard enough to muffle her screaming as he still held her left arm in a tight grip.

Tammy let out a pathetic-sounding whimper and reached her free hand over toward the hand he had around her other wrist. She seemed to try to say something as she grabbed at his fingers.

Ron let go of her left wrist and grabbed her right. "Tammy, I'm not trying to hurt you. You've just got to calm down." He advised, noticing she didn't try to free her right hand with her left. She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her left arm against her chest, almost as though trying to protect it from him.

Frowning, Ron stared down at her. His hands were still holding her down - one over her mouth and the other pinning her right arm against the ground. She had stopped fighting back very suddenly though. She was no longer screaming. She just lay there, holding her arm close against her chest and inhaling and exhaling shaking breaths. Though her eyes were squeezed shut, tears flowed from them, rolling down her cheeks. They didn't seem like an insane, angry tears though. She seemed more scared, more pained.

He focused on her left arm again. She was acting like it was injured. That would certainly explain why she'd been so frantic about getting him to let go and gave up as soon as that arm was free.

Ron moved his hand off her mouth and gripped her seemingly injured arm closer to her elbow, releasing her other arm and using that hand to pull her sleeve up.

"Ron, don't!" Tammy gasped, reaching toward his fingers.

Ron frowned and stared down at her wrist, seeing in the dim light of the fire that it was swollen and bruised. "Did this happen in the car? Why didn't you tell me?" He let go and backed off, almost forgetting that the whole reason he was holding her down in the first place was because she had physically attacked him... again...

"Yeah." Tammy whispered. "I don't need your help. I don't want it. I didn't tell you because it doesn't matter. I didn't want you making a big deal about it and it's not your business."

Ron nodded slowly. "I see..." He spoke in a low voice as he stared down at her. She stared back, but didn't move to climb out from under him.

"I was trying to tell you though... Just now." She added, sticking her lower lip out in a pout. "You were hurting me... I tried to tell you."

Ron exhaled and shook his head. "I didn't mean to hurt you." He promised. "You jumped at me... I was holding you back. I didn't know your arm was hurt. I wouldn't have grabbed you there if I'd have known. I'm sorry."

Tammy hesitated as she looked down at her wrist with a frown and tears in her eyes. "Do you think it's broken?" She squeaked. "It really hurts..."

Ron frowned as he stared first into her eyes. She had a way about her where she could go from being terrifying to appearing utterly sweet and vulnerable within a matter of seconds. He couldn't understand how she made him feel so many opposite yet strong emotions in such a short period of time. Thirty seconds ago he wanted to squeeze her arms tighter and tighter, to actually hurt her a little bit - to show her it wasn't okay for her to attack him and warn her not to do it again. Now he wanted to comfort her, to make her arm feel better, to promise her she'd be okay...

He stared at her face, at her wide, dark, wet eyes, at her lower lip stuck out in a pout and trembling slightly. He wanted to kiss her.

"It's really swollen. I think it's broken." Tammy went on when Ron forgot to ever answer. "What will happen if I don't get to a hospital soon?" Her voice shook. "It is gonna be messed up forever?"

Ron pulled his focus away from her lips and glanced down toward her wrist, reaching out and taking the limb gently in his hands. Her skin was warm and was definitely swollen and bruised. He couldn't be sure if it was actually broken or not. He ran his fingers carefully over her skin as she stared back with wide, nervous eyes.

"I can't tell, Tammy." Ron told her as he shook his head and gently placed her arm down over her chest. He watched her as she continued lying flat on the ground, staring up at him. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was - that a passionate kiss would be appropriate right about now... That a lot more than a kiss might be nice too.

Ron reached his hand toward the side of her face and brushed a wet clump of her hair off of her cheek. She had a smudge of dirt under her eye as well. He brushed it away with his thumb.

"I'm sorry I stalked you." Tammy said out of nowhere as she stared intently up at his eyes.

Ron nodded and swallowed nervously. "It's... uh..." He didn't want to say it was okay, because it wasn't, but maybe it was... "I'm sorry you got hurt."

A small smile tugged the corners of Tammy's lips. She didn't say anything, but seemed to be silently inviting Ron to move closer... So he did.

He leaned down slowly, giving her the time and space to have the option to pull away or ask him to back off. She didn't. She even leaned a few inches upward to meet his lips with hers.

Ron put one hand behind her head and the other on her lower back as he lifted her slightly off the ground and enveloped her lips with his own. The kiss began slow and simple, but quickly evolved into something much more passionate.

Ron felt his heart rate increasing as her tongue and his danced playfully and passionately between his mouth and hers. He pulled her closer, running his hands up and down her back and then around toward her breasts. He felt her hand run up his chest, over his throat and then up to his face.

Tammy exhaled as she moved her mouth away from his and reached down toward the buckle on his belt with both hands. As soon as she moved to unbuckle it, she winced and drew her injured arm back, but continued trying to unfasten it with her other hand.

"I'll get it." Ron breathed, reaching toward the belt and unbuckling it himself.

Tammy smirked at him and reached toward the bottom of her shirt, struggling to pull it up over her head with only one hand.

"I've got it, Tammy." Ron said again, reaching toward her shirt and lifting it. He paused with a small gasp as he saw purple bruising on her ribs.

"Don't stop." Tammy frowned, reaching toward his pants button.

"Tammy, wait." Ron shook his head as he continued staring at her bruised ribs. He put his fingertips over the bruises, running them carefully along the marks. It looked like this might have perhaps been where the steering wheel had hit her. Maybe the car accident was more significant than he had thought. She had certainly sped the car up pretty fast, and it looked like she hit the bottom of the river pretty hard.

Tammy pouted as she looked up at him. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it back down. "Forget it." She breathed. "I'm fine."

Ron hesitated as he stared down at her. He could still feel his own heart pounding in his chest and his breaths were quick. He could tell by Tammy's out-of-breath voice that she was still excited too. It would be so easy for him to just do this. She clearly didn't mind... and should he really either? So what if their probably-a-little-rougher-than-necessary love-making session might exacerbate her injuries? She told him more than once now that she didn't give a damn. It was her body... If she didn't care, why should he?

"I'm going to the hospital tomorrow anyway." Tammy panted as she reached her arms up, resting her injured one across his shoulders and placing her other hand firmly but gently against the back of his neck, pulling his face closer to hers. "If we make things worse, they'll deal with it then."

Ron nodded slightly. She had a point... and she was really, really enticing right now... So he put his hand on her back and pulled her closer to him as well, resuming their kiss as he let his other hand snake down to the bottom of her shirt. He pushed it up under the fabric until he reached her breast. He tried to be mindful of her injuries, but his thoughts were mostly elsewhere.

Tammy breathed against his neck as she pulled herself closer against him. They were now sitting up, with her in his lap, straddling him as he squeezed her breasts in his hands. They probably would have looked ridiculous if anyone had been there to witness them sitting on the forest floor, kissing and groping all over each other... but neither of them cared.

Ron felt Tammy struggling with his pants as he continued pawing around under her shirt. Her breaths remained quick, as did his, but a part of him began to wonder if all of the noises she was making were those of pleasure. Within a series of excited breaths and moans, he could swear he heard a few sharp winces.

Leaning back slightly, he looked at her face, trying to judge if this whole interaction was hurting her... and wondering to himself if it mattered. If she didn't care, why should he?

"Keep going." She breathed. "I'm fine..."

Ron swallowed, feeling less and less sure about this. Was he being irresponsible here? Tammy was always irrational... He was the more sane one... maybe... Was it his responsibility to be the one to put a stop to something he knew could hurt her worse than she already was?

She climbed further into his lap, kissing up his neck and pressing her body close against his.

He couldn't help but to notice the feeling of her breasts pressing against his chest as she seemed to try to get closer than physically possible. He missed that feeling. Their relationship was toxic as hell, but boy did he fucking love being intimate with her.

So he pulled her closer, and kissed her deeper... ran his hands more roughly over her body, picking her up and laying her against the hard dirt floor of the forest, littered with leaves and twigs. He climbed on top of her, mostly hovering as he pulled at the button on her pants and pushed his fingers between her clothing and her skin. He could get her pants and panties down in one move to save time if he wanted. He only wished she could have been working on disrobing him at the same time, but her injured wrist made that impossible.

Ron grimaced and felt his shoulders slump slightly when he heard Tammy let out a shaking wince. He frowned and looked at her face. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was biting her lower lip - and not in a way that conveyed pleasure. She looked to be in pain. Tears were even streaming silently over her cheeks.

"Tammy..." Ron breathed, pausing.

"I'm fine." She promised, but her voice wavered and he felt her shaking under him. "I just... please don't let this stop you... I-" She stopped herself and intook another shaking breath.

Ron pulled himself up off her and gently pulled her into a sitting position as well. He wondered if she was willing to do this even with the pain simply because she knew she might not get another chance later. He was certainly not interested in getting back together with her, and she probably knew it.

"We just have to be more careful..." She breathed, looking almost fearful as she stared at him with wide, wet eyes. "We'll go slower... It'll be fine."

Ron shook his head and took her hands in his. "Tammy, we should stop... You're hurt..."

"So?" She breathed, pulling her hands out of his and reaching toward his pants again.

"No, Tammy." He took her hands again. "It'll get too rough. I don't want to hurt you worse."

"I don't care, Ron." Tammy breathed, pulling her hands out of his and putting them on his chest. "I'll be okay... and if I'm not, I'm fine with it. Go ahead and hurt me. Be as rough as you want. I really don't care. Unless I outright tell you to stop, just don't worry about it. I'm not afraid to tell you to stop, so just ignore it if I cry or something."

"Tammy..." Ron stared, shaking his head. He wasn't going to have sex with her while she was crying in pain.

"Ron, please." Tammy whined. "Just do it. I'll tell you if I change my mind. I don't mind pain. I promise, I really, really don't care."

"You might not care, but I do." Ron frowned. "I don't want to hurt you on purpose."

"Then do your best not to, Ron. Damn..." Tammy rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad."

Ron shook his head again, putting his hand on her shoulder and frowning. "We need to get you to a doctor... but in the meantime, you should rest. Your wrist could be broken. Your ribs too... and you could be injured in other ways and not even know it. You need to take it easy..."

"I'll take it easy after." Tammy shrugged, reaching toward her own waist now in an effort to disrobe herself. "We both want this. I don't mind if it hurts me worse. That's my problem. Not yours."

"Tammy!" He spoke louder as he took her hands again, trying to be mindful that her left wrist was injured. "I'm not doing this with you. Not right now... Besides, it's really not a good idea anyway. We broke up for a reason."

Tammy frowned and scowled at him, yanking her hands away but no longer continuing to pursue the halted interaction. "Fine." She growled. "I wasn't really interested anyway. Probably just confused because of the fucking concussion."

Ron felt his shoulders slump. "I'm sorry, Tammy... I just don't want to hurt you. Your ribs could be broken. It's just not a good idea."

"That, and we have no contraception. It would be cruel to create a child with your genes." Tammy added with an angry stare. "Get off of me." She shoved her hand against his chest and scooted away.

Ron felt his teeth clenching together. A part of him wanted to continue to argue his point - to explain to her that no one wanted to have sex right now more than he did, but he feared exacerbating already potentially broken bones. He knew it would do him no good. She was fed up with him, had already decided to be offended, and that was that.

Tammy shivered again and hugged her arm protectively against her chest as she pulled herself halfway up off the ground. She closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled before dragging herself up to her feet. "I think I'm just gonna go... If I follow this road will I make it back to a town eventually?" She asked.

Ron felt his eyes widen slightly. "Are you serious?"

Tammy stared at him. "Yeah. What do you mean, am I serious? I don't want to be here anymore. My wrist is broken. I need to get to a hospital, you moron."

Ron shook his head. "It's too cold. You're still soaking wet. Just stay here tonight. You can even sleep in the tent. I've got a blanket in there. Just one... no pillow, but it's something at least."

"I'm gonna be drenched in ice-cold water all night either way. I'm just gonna start walking. Moving will keep me warmer than lying in wet clothes all night anyway. And I hate you." she added.

Ron felt a small smirk tug at his lips. "I know... I hate you too..."

"Does your phone work?" She asked. "Can you try to call someone?"

"It's soaked in river water, Tammy. Thanks. I'm trying to dry it out... but it didn't have reception before, so it might not work even if the water didn't kill it." Ron told her.

Tammy sighed. "I'm just gonna start walking then."

"I have an idea." Ron spoke. "Don't take this the wrong way... but if you go into the tent, get undressed, and hand me your clothes, I can try to dry them out here while you stay in there and warm up. Try to get some sleep... Then you'll have something dry to wear in the morning and we can walk down the road together."

Tammy narrowed her eyes and stared at him. She looked suspicious.

"You can have the entire tent to yourself. I'll stay out here by the fire." Ron went on. "You'll warm up faster under the blanket without your wet clothes. I'll make a clothes line of some sort out here... Tomorrow will be a better day."

"Fine. But don't try anything. I'm not interested. I've never been less sexually attracted to anyone in my life." Tammy told him with a scowl.

"Right back at you, Tammy." Ron replied.

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	4. Chapter 4

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CHAPTER 4

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Unzipping the zipper only an inch or two, Tammy peaked out of the screen window of the tent. Ron was standing by his fire, looking down at his phone. He appeared frustrated, as he pressed the buttons down much harder than necessary and shook the device in his hand.

She continued staring at him. He was such a prick. The second he saved her from the river, he had demanded that she back off and wouldn't even offer her any sort of physical comfort. She had almost died, but he was determined to be cold and indifferent to her suffering.

Not only that - he had started kissing her, and have even begun undressing himself and her only to stop suddenly and claim it was for her benefit. For some reason unknown to her, he was sending her very mixed signals. Maybe he was trying to hurt her. It was certainly working.

Tammy felt tears stinging her eyes. She wished she had never hidden in his trunk. This hadn't worked out at all. Not only was he not open to intimacy, but she was entirely miserable. She was cold, wet, and in pain, and now Ron was probably never going to forgive her for crashing his car.

She re-zipped the window and clicked on the flashlight Ron had left in the tent. She looked around the space. There was a large blanket in the middle of the small tent. Ron had only brought one, of course, because he'd planned on spending the weekend by himself.

Ron had suggested that she retire to the tent alone so that she could get out of her wet clothes, so she figured she might as well do so. It was freezing, but there was a blanket in the tent, and she knew she wasn't going to feel warm again until she wasn't covered in damp fabric.

Tammy pulled her shirt up over her head, wincing as she was forced to use her hurt wrist. Taking off her shoes, she shimmied out of her pants next, followed by her socks. Tammy wrapped her uninjured arm around her middle and shivered. Now she was even more cold, if that was possible. She unzipped the tent's door and placed her clothes outside, promptly zipping it back closed. Ordinarily, maybe she would have hand-delivered them to Ron, just to make sure he saw her in her bra and panties - just to tease and entice him... But she didn't really want to now. He had made her feel so worthless...

She exhaled as she looked down at herself. Her bra and underwear were soaked too. Getting completely undressed in Ron's tent sounded like something she would have done just to seduce him on an ordinary day, but she wasn't sure she wanted to now that she wasn't feeling as interested in that possibility.

She frowned as she watched Ron's shadow approach the tent. He bent down and picked up her wet clothes and then walked back toward his fire. She wondered if he was going to try to dry his own clothes in a similar manner. How could he without getting totally naked out there?

Tammy felt her bra with her fingers. It was very damp. There was no way this was going to dry overnight with her wearing it... She stared toward the tent's door. Ron truly did seem intent to keep his promise and stay out of her space.

She pealed her bra and underwear off, careful to avoid agitating her injured ribs and wrist. She wished Ron weren't being such an asshole tonight, and she wished she wasn't in constant pain. It would have been so wonderful to unzip the tent's door to discard her wet undergarments and 'accidentally' let the door fall open... Give Ron a glimpse of what he was missing and entice him to join her.

As it were, however, she really didn't feel like playing that game anymore. This circumstance was entirely wasted thanks to her injuries and whatever Ron's motives in rejecting her were.

She stepped toward the front of the tent, unzipped it about six inches and dropped her bra and panties outside, quickly zipping the tent back up to make sure Ron knew this wasn't an invitation.

She made her way toward the blanket, which was rolled up neatly in the corner of the tent. She wondered if he packed the tent away with the blanket still in it. That would explain how it hadn't been lost in the car like everything else. She unrolled it, feeling pleasantly surprised to find some of Ron's clothing had accidentally managed to get packed away with it.

Ron must have left his clothing here the last time he went camping. He probably rolled the blanket and clothes up, hoping to wash them and then forgot. She hoped the clothes weren't dirty... but considering how cold she was, she barely cared if they were.

Tammy looked through the clothes - a white t-shirt, boxer briefs, and two socks. It must have been warmer the last time he went camping. She smirked. Was this what he was sleeping in these days?

She stepped into and pulled the boxer shorts up her legs and then put on the shirt. She put on the socks as well. The clothing was big on her, but she didn't mind.

Tammy grabbed up Ron's blanket off the floor and wrapped it around herself. It was a good thing he was a big man, and had therefore brought a very large, warm blanket. She laid herself down on the tent's floor and tucked the edges of the blanket under herself so that it resembled a cocoon.

The blanket began working its magic instantly. The air was still chill and she would have of course been warmer with more clothes on, but the heavy blanket was dry and comforting. Even though she'd spent hours in a drug-induced sleep in Ron's car trunk, she felt like she could easily sleep for several hours more. Maybe something about almost dying had tired her out. She snuggled down into her little cocoon and closed her eyes.

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	5. Chapter 5

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CHAPTER 5

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Ron stared toward the tent as he lingered by his fire, occasionally checking to see if Tammy's clothes were dry yet. He had hung hers on a little makeshift clothes line he made by tying a rope between two trees near the fire. He'd left his own wet clothes on and just elected to stay near the fire, hoping they would dry while he was wearing them. It was far too cold for him to get fully (or even partially) undressed while outside and he knew Tammy didn't want him with her in the tent. He also didn't really want to go into the tent with her there - especially after she dropped her bra and panties out the door. He didn't expect that she'd get completely naked, and absolutely didn't want to tempt himself by getting anywhere near her.

She was very hard to resist even when she was dressed, and she was such a toxic person that he really didn't want to start their relationship back up if he could avoid it. Even excluding the fact that she was hurt and their usual rather intense, rough love-making might hurt her worse, he just really didn't want to get sucked back into her insane mind-games. They'd broken up for a reason.

Ron looked down at his cell phone again while he waited. He could feel that his own clothes were more dry than before - still a little damp though. His phone was still dead. He continued trying to turn it on every couple minutes, but it looked like it just wasn't going to happen. Cell phones tended not to function so great after being submerged in a river.

He glanced toward the tent again. It looked like she'd left the flashlight on, but she didn't seem to be moving around. Of course she'd leave the light on - waste all the battery while not even using it. Ron shook his head and sighed quietly. Everything about this woman was beyond frustrating to him, especially right now - after she'd destroyed his weekend and his car. He was even being especially friendly toward her - giving her his warm blanket and tent - not telling her to go off into the woods and die... And she acted like she was pissed at him. He was the one who should be pissed here.

A strong gust of wind blew, causing Ron to shiver. His fire danced precariously to the side, close to blowing out all together. He should have dug a deeper hole to build it in. He hadn't expected that he'd be out here huddling next to it all night.

Every minute or two, another chill, powerful gust blew across his campsite, rustling the material of the tent, nearly extinguishing his fire, and making him even colder. He wondered if the wind was keeping Tammy from sleeping. He wondered if she'd mind if he snuck into the tent as long as he stayed on the other side. He knew she was mad at him right now, but he didn't want anything to do with her either. It's not like he was going to get any closer to her than he had to.

He wrapped his arms around himself and looked back down at his fire, carefully placing another log on top. The wind was such a hassle right now. He wasn't sure the fire was going to last long enough to light up the newly added wood.

Trying to guard the flames with his hands as more wind threatened them, Ron looked up toward the tent again. The flashlight was still on. It had been on for the past hour or so.

Ron put his hand on his arm, feeling the fabric of his shirt. It was really barely wet now, and it wasn't like the fire was helping much anymore. He wondered if he should just sneak into the tent. It was his tent after all. What was Tammy going to do? Make him leave? She had his blanket. She could keep herself covered up with it. He wouldn't even demand to have it back. He just wanted out of the wind...

With a defeated exhale, Ron headed toward the tent. He unzipped it just enough and stepped inside as quietly as he could. Once inside, he zipped it back closed and looked down at Tammy, who had chosen to sleep wrapped up in his blanket on the right side of the tent. Her head was turned to the side and her left arm, which the blanket had fallen partially off of, rested on her chest. He frowned when he realized she was wearing a white t-shirt... his white t-shirt. Where had she gotten that?

He swallowed as he stared down at her. His white t-shirts were undershirts. They were very thin. If it weren't so dark, he might have been able to see through the shirt. He knew she wasn't wearing a bra - she'd dropped it outside the tent for him to try to dry... He narrowed his eyes in the low light, trying to see through the shirt, but quickly turned away and shook his head. He wasn't interested. He didn't need to look.

He made his way to the other side of the tent and laid down, hugging his arms around himself as he faced the tent's wall. He didn't really want to look at Tammy right now. She made him so angry. She seemed constantly determined to ruin his life and was so good at it. He hated her so much.

Their relationship was never really pleasant. It was verbally abusive, even physically abusive at times, unfortunately. They were both guilty of it. He didn't like that she made him that crazy - so crazy that he loved her even though she didn't treat him right - and she loved him even though he didn't treat her right either. What was wrong with them? Both of them... Why couldn't Ron let this woman out of his heart?

He turned over onto his other side and looked across the space at Tammy, whose face he could see thanks to the moon-light and the light of the flashlight that was lying on the floor between them.

He wasn't sure if it was just a shadow, but he could almost swear she had a faint bruise on the side of her forehead. Maybe she'd hit her head in the whole car ordeal too... Was he supposed to do something in that event? If she had a concussion, were there steps he should take to make sure she was alright? What were the symptoms of that? She really hadn't seemed symptomatic of anything as far as he knew - other than her arm clearly being injured.

Shaking his head slightly to himself, he frowned, shivered, and closed his eyes. There really wasn't anything he could do, he supposed. He'd just make sure she got to a hospital tomorrow morning and that was that. It was more than he was really obligated to do. She'd stalked him here like a creep and gotten herself injured while stealing his car. He was already doing more for her than she deserved. For some reason he still cared about her. He couldn't say why exactly, but clearly he did, whether he wanted to or not.

Ron couldn't help but to inhale an audible, shaking breath as he hugged his arms tight around himself. It was really fucking cold... and the sound of the wind beating against the thin walls of the tent wasn't helping. He could think of nothing but cold. He felt it and even heard it. It was inescapable.

Even so, he tried to ignore it, squeezing his eyes shut tight and hugging himself tighter. This night would come to an end eventually. In the morning there'd be sunlight. It would be warmer. He and Tammy would spend a few hours hiking down the mountain - on the road, so it would be relatively easy. Downhill too - even easier. This situation wasn't impossible. It was just taking a while. He'd make it through somehow.

He felt his breath hitch in his throat and his eyes opened as he felt something brush against his arm. He stared in the semi-darkness and observed Tammy draping the blanket over him. He wondered if she could see that he was looking back at her, that he was still awake. Maybe it would be better to just pretend to still be asleep. If he acknowledged that she was being kind, it might scare her off, make her be mean again...

He closed his eyes and remained still. Soon, he felt Tammy lying down next to him. She snuggled against his side, keeping her left arm tucked protectively between them. She put her right hand lightly on his arm. He wanted to put his arm around her, but didn't want her to know he was still awake. He feared she would get defensive if he said or did anything at all.

Hopefully she wasn't still half asleep. The last thing he needed was for her to wake up for real and accuse him of being the one to orchestrate this sleeping arrangement.

"Ron?" Tammy's voice whispered softly.

Ron swallowed a lump in his throat and kept his eyes closed tight. What did she want? Should he respond?

"Ron, it's freezing." She continued whispering.

He kept his eyes closed and his body still as he felt her snuggling even closer.

Finally, it seemed she had given up on hoping he was awake. Fortunately she didn't start shaking him or screaming... She could have made certain he was awake to hear whatever she had to say if she wanted.

Ron chose to continue lying perfectly still, pretending to be asleep or dead, but he could still feel her there, right next to him, trying to snuggle as close to him as she could. He frowned. Was she shivering? She was sniffling... Was she getting sick?

He still didn't move or make a noise or any other indication that he was awake, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore her. She tried to press herself even closer to him, wincing softly when she must have accidentally put pressure on her hurt wrist. It wasn't long before her shivering and sniffles seemed to have dissolved into soft sobs. Maybe that's what they were all along.

With a short, measured exhale, Ron rolled slightly onto his side, wrapping his arm around Tammy's shoulders, but still chose to stay quiet. Maybe she'd still think he was asleep.

"Ron?" Tammy whispered, sniffing back tears.

He kept his eyes closed and didn't answer, but hugged her securely with his arm.

"Ron, please talk to me. I'm sorry... I'm sorry about all this. I just wanted- I wanted you to love me... I thought that's what we both wanted." She stopped herself with another soft sob.

"I do, Tammy." Ron finally couldn't keep himself from responding.

"What?" Tammy sniffed.

"I love you. We wouldn't keep coming back to each other if it weren't true. We're both so fucking toxic..." Ron noted.

Tammy let out a soft laugh. "I'm not..."

"Yes you are. And you know it." Ron disagreed.

Tammy sniffed again and laid her head against Ron's chest. "But you do love me?" She whispered.

"Of course. Look at us. You stalked me in my own car trunk, drove my car into a river... I screamed at you, threatened to kill you. We've both been being completely fucking unhinged and insane, and yet we're here in a tent together, cuddling under a blanket. How the hell could you come to the conclusion that I don't love you?" Ron frowned.

Tammy hesitated. "You yelled at me..." She whispered. "You were really mean."

"So were you. It's what we do." Ron laughed.

"You wouldn't have sex with me." Tammy added.

Ron shook his head. "Because you were wincing every time I touched you. You're hurt, Tammy. You were just in a pretty serious car accident."

"Can we date again?" She whispered.

Ron swallowed nervously. Their periods of dating never ended well. But he desperately wanted to say yes. Even though as a pair, they were a chaotic, dangerous mix, he couldn't help but to feel they were still made for each other.

Tammy remained quiet while Ron ran all of this through his head. It was actually kind of strange how quiet she was being. He sort of expected her to get angry and demand an answer now... but she wasn't doing that.

He looked down at her, as she stared back up at him with wide, almost scared eyes. He wanted to blame this whole thing on her earlier, but maybe he did need to accept some of the fault. Sure, she was crazy - she stalked him, took his car, drove it into a river... But he certainly hadn't done anything to de-escalate the situation.

When she was in his car, refusing to let him in, he did start acting violent and threatening. She was making him so mad and he started acting crazy - just like her. She brought that out in him. Her chaotic energy was like a magnet to his. Whenever she took things too far, he wanted to take them even further. She locked him out of his car? He'd be content to smash in the windows. Obviously it wasn't a sane reaction... But that's what he'd decided in that moment, that destroying the car himself was worth it to combat her actions.

Looking back, it wasn't that surprising that he had scared her. He wouldn't ever hurt her on purpose, and he was pretty sure she knew that... but maybe in that moment, when she was being so irritating, so insane... maybe he really would have hurt her if he had gotten into the car. He was so mad he wasn't even thinking about what he was saying and doing. He hadn't even remembered saying he'd kill her - but she did. Half the problem here was when she acted crazy, instead of remaining calm, Ron dissolved into chaos too. Neither of them had the ability to remain calm while the other was flipping out - and that was dangerous.

"I'm sorry." Tammy whispered. "I shouldn't have stalked you in your trunk. I realize that wasn't the best way to resolve this."

As he stared down at her, he saw what he believed to be genuine regret in her eyes. She wasn't trying to destroy his life. She wanted to be with him... And he felt the same way. Ron let out a small laugh. She looked so serious.

"I'm sorry I yelled and that I threatened you." Ron finally spoke up. "You were making me really mad... but I shouldn't have gotten violent. I wouldn't ever want to hurt you on purpose, and certainly not on accident either. I should have controlled my emotions."

"I think we can still work, Ron." Tammy suggested. "I don't think we're hopeless."

Ron hesitated. He really wanted their relationship to work. For all the grief they caused each other, he truly did love her. "Maybe we can give it one more try. If we don't last this time..."

"We will!" Tammy interrupted. "We'll get it right this time."

Ron laughed softly, hugging his arm tighter around her shoulders as she settled down against him. "You think so?" He wondered.

Tammy nodded. "Things will be different this time."

He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, Ron almost believed it too.

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THE END


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